Digital delusions in the South

In this essay, Upadhaya explores a recent trend in South Asia that he calls "digital hype". High expectations, he says, are being created that information technology and the Internet have the potential to solve all of humanity's problems (including social, political and economic issues, or concerns of distribution of resources). Organisations of all kinds, including those that work to address poverty and sustainable development issues, are promising that technology has the power to transform village life in this region.

To Upadhaya, "these grandiose digital dreams" are unrealistic. He points to insufficiencies in the areas of basic equipment (like electricity and computers), familiarity with the English language, and enough food to sustain the very people who would try to use the technology. For example, he cites this figure: in India, as much as 42% of the population earns an income of US$365 a year. Electricity is hard to come by in the Subcontinent; basic literacy is an issue for many people in rural areas. Upadhaya claims that this lack of access to digital technology, and the consequent irrelevancy of current excitement about technology's promise, is due to "the failure of development".

However, Upadhaya does see the benefits of digital technology for South Asia - albeit in very limited ways. The remainder of the essay explores concrete aspects of the technology that is at issue, including "the broad principles on which the technology is based, the driving force of the digital industry, the assumptions underlying global connectivity, and the development of standardised hardware and software."

In short, the author defines the specific purpose that this technology can serve to further development in this region as follows: "If it is to be of any use, the idea of connectivity as a solution must be discarded. Connectivity may be generally useful, but it has no particular value in reducing poverty. The operational modalities of development work need to be digitised into local languages...what is required is the judicious application of digital technology, without any emphasis on its communication aspect. The routine computing process, using minimal hardware and relevant software, is more than adequate for the present." However, he says, while second-hand hardware is a viable solution, there are serious constraints impeding the ability of South Asians to access appropriate software. These constraints include the lack of second-hand sources (thanks, he says, to the "corporate-driven agenda") and the failure of any major application to be produced in local languages. He ends by advocating open-source software and content in local languages.